Five Barriers to Mental Health Treatment for African Americans

Dr. Rahn K. Bailey, National Medical Association President, who is a forensic psychiatrist and Chair of Psychiatry at Meharry Medical College, filmed several segments on the Stigma of Mental Illness in the Black Community at BET studios in Washington, DC.

The segments also included Rico James, RN, Clinical Assistant to the Medical Director, Jefferson-Blount-St. Clair Mental Health Authority, Birmingham, Al. and Justin, an individual living successfully with schizophrenia also from Birmingham, Ala.

In the segments, Bailey listed and described five barriers to mental health treatment that African American’s face. They include:

1. Confusion over how psychiatry is defined2. Stigma associated with brain disorders3. Challenges with insurance coverage4. Perception that seeking help shows weakness5. Lack of trust in the medical system